allendalepharm Chapter 188 An Invitation from Newtscamander
Chapter 188 An Invitation from Newtscamander
Chapter 188 An Invitation from Newt Scamander
Lockhart wasn't in a hurry to find Sirius.
This guy just escaped from Azkaban and is currently hiding somewhere from the Aurors. Instead of searching aimlessly, it's better to wait until Hogwarts starts, and Sirius will naturally appear before you.
Lockhart had more important things to do.
The original owner had a list of powerful wizards who lived in seclusion and had made great achievements in various fields.
This list was not used in its entirety; the original owner focused solely on the field of Defense Against the Dark Arts, a strategy that allowed him to rapidly expand his influence.
Lockhart intends to use this list and begin exploring the field of magical creature conservation.
The next day, he brought Ms. Mary to America, registered for entry at the Magical Congress, and went through a passage opened by the wizards at a park statue to enter Wizard Street.
The lives of American wizards are very different from those of British wizards. The most obvious difference is that candy stores are no longer the mainstream; instead, coffee shops are more prevalent.
The streets are also wider, and circuses or bands come here from time to time to hold events.
They soon arrived at Gringotts Wizarding Bank, where the original owner's list was hidden in the vault.
"I really don't understand why wizards would let goblins manage the bank," Ms. Mary complained. "You, like me, know a lot about Muggle life and are well aware of the importance of banks. Goblins are not exactly peaceful creatures."
Lockhart smiled slightly. "It's not a bank."
Ms. Mary thought for a moment and nodded. "I know, we only operate safe deposit box and currency exchange businesses."
"You can't see some of a wizard's daily life from a Muggle's perspective," Lockhart explained. "Do you know what magical creatures like the Sphinx, mermaids, eight-eyed spiders, basilisks, gargoyles... and so on were used for in ancient times?"
Ms. Mary was clearly unaware and looked at him with some confusion.
"Guard the wizard's treasure and dwelling!"
Lockhart casually mentioned something that would be mentioned in the history of magic at magic schools: "Wizards are accustomed to finding powerful magical creatures to guard their treasures and residences. In modern times, this practice has evolved into Gringotts Wizarding Bank."
"You'll find that opening a safe inside doesn't require any extra expense, and there are no fees for exchanging currency. This is because wizards have never had the habit of paying magical creatures that guard treasures, and the same goes for house-elves."
Ms. Mary blinked, then complained, "I still think wizards live in an ancient and backward state."
Lockhart smiled and stopped discussing it. He led Ms. Mary into Gringotts Bank and had the goblin lead him into the underground vault. After winding around, they arrived at an inconspicuous vault in a corner.
The vault contained items for easy travel, such as clothing, spare wands, signed books and photos, Galleons, and even some Muggle banknotes and a handgun.
Yes, the original owner of this body was quite shrewd; he secretly acquired a handgun.
Lockhart hadn't had the chance to come into contact with this thing in his previous life. He picked it up and played with it for a while, then casually put it into his ring and found the list from the neatly stacked shelf.
He carefully flipped through it, intending to write it down and then destroy it.
Mary's name was prominently featured on the list of those working in the field of defense against the dark magic.
And on the list of people involved in the protection of magical creatures, the first one is a very familiar face: Newt Scamander.
Newt's strength is undoubtedly great, but not in the same way as Dumbledore's. His weaknesses in certain areas are enough for someone with ulterior motives to devise a targeted strategy and easily defeat him.
Lockhart immediately excluded Newt from this category, partly because of his fondness for the character in the original work, and also because Dumbledore had already set his sights on him. Targeting someone close to Dumbledore would be suicidal.
He quickly memorized all the information on the list, pulled out his wand, pressed it against his head to carefully confirm that he had memorized everything, and then cast a spell to destroy the record in his hand.
Keeping it will only cause trouble.
After he emerged from Gringotts, Ms. Mary asked, "Where do we go next?"
Lockhart was somewhat undecided.
Since there's no need to steal someone's life or write a book based on their experiences, but only to replicate some knowledge, the range of choices becomes much wider.
But before he could speak, an owl flapped its wings and flew over.
It circled above his head once, landed on a nearby fire hydrant, raised one foot, and handed him a rolled-up parchment letter.
"My letter?"
Lockhart was taken aback, wondering who would write to him again.
He reached out and took it, and the owl flapped its wings and soared into the sky.
The letter came from Dumbledore, who in fact only provided some explanations and forwarded another letter—an invitation from Newt Scamander.
Lockhart's expression turned strange for a moment.
Although people often refer to Newt as "senior" when talking about legendary figures like him at school, Newt is actually 96 years old this year.
At this age, he remains active in the conservation of endangered magical creatures, demonstrating a consistent dedication throughout his life and truly living his own magical path.
Lockhart didn't know much about his senior, but he still persisted in updating the "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" series, came to Hogwarts to plead for Buckbeak the Hippogriff when he was in his third year of Harry Potter and was about to be executed by the Ministry of Magic, and Luna eventually married Newt's grandson, Ralph Scamander.
Oh, and one more thing, Newt spent his later years living with his wife in Dorset, England.
Interestingly, Newt Scamander's invitation to meet was to take place in the United States.
"I'm afraid we'll have to stay in the United States for a while." Lockhart looked up at Ms. Mary with a puzzled expression. "Just then, an invitation arrived."
By the time Lockhart brought Ms. Mary to a farm in Texas, it was already the afternoon of the next day.
This is a farm that Muggles cannot see. Between two low ridges is a huge, rusty steel gate with a wooden sign next to it that reads "Scamander Farm".
A house-elf, dressed in a well-fitting and exquisite butler's uniform, was already waiting by the gate, respectfully inviting them inside.
"I'm sorry that old Scamander couldn't come to greet you in person. His leg injury has flared up again recently, and he can finally rest for a while."
The old elf muttered something, then led Lockhart and Lady Mary to a pumpkin carriage. After waiting for everyone to get in, he whistled, and some animals with long fur that looked like dogs and dragon scales on their spines ran out, crawled into the leather cover at the front of the carriage, and pulled the carriage quickly toward their distant dwelling.
Lockhart looked around with great curiosity. There were magical creatures everywhere that the original owner had never encountered while studying at Hogwarts. Even when he retrieved the memories of the dozen or so powerful wizards in his mind, he could not name most of the animals.
The farm was vast, and just when we thought we were about to reach our destination, the pumpkin carriage rounded a low ridge, revealing an even more expansive view.
"Are these all Mr. Scamander's farms?" Lockhart asked with some curiosity, looking at the enormous creature lying on the ground in the distance that looked almost exactly like the nearby low ridge.
"It belongs to Mr. Scamander Jr." The old elf recounted the legendary history of the magical creature conservation farm founded by Newt's son. "He went through a very difficult time getting it up and running at first. The magical creatures consumed a lot of food every day, and there was a lot of waste to clean up. Funding was also always insufficient..."
They soon saw Newt's son.
A burly man with a full beard, dressed in a wizard's robe and smoking a cigar, was currently driving a large Muggle agricultural harvester, busy in a field of strange purple plants.
As the harvester passed by, some small animals with long arms, looking a bit like monkeys or kangaroos, excitedly rummaged through the ground behind it, stuffing something into their mouths.
Lockhart found it hard to believe that Newt's son was such a burly old cowboy. After thinking about it, he realized he might be too stereotypical, so he had the old elf take a detour to greet him before continuing toward Newt's residence.
Soon, a cluster of wooden houses with gray stone tiles came into view, nested one on top of another, and even some towers of the same style, making it look like a fantasy version of a Muggle country house.
The Newts looked very energetic; apart from their white hair, they even appeared quite young. They kindly introduced the little boy who was doing his homework to them.
"Rolfe Scamander, my grandson, is studying at Ilvermony School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Ralph looked quite young, probably around the same age as the Weasley twins. He wore glasses and appeared to be a refined gentleman.
After a polite greeting, he looked at Lockhart with some curiosity. "You smell like magical creatures, but there's also a very unpleasant odor about you."
Lockhart smiled slightly, looking at him with interest. "You can smell it?"
Rolf nodded with a hint of pride, then shook his head. "It's not that I smell it, it's that I feel it, like wisps of dark smoke enveloping you."
Lockhart looked at the bright and intelligent child and burst into laughter. "You're very talented."
He patted his pocket, and the little golden retriever popped out, curiously looking at the child in front of it. It could now freely control its fear, and at this moment it looked like a little monkey with three arms.
"Animalistic?!?"
Newt gasped abruptly, sitting bolt upright in his wheelchair, his gaze fixed intently on the blond puppy. "I'm seeing animalistic instincts in a dark magic creature?!"
Lockhart beamed and beckoned his little companions out to play: the Winged Demon, the Sackcloth, the Boggart...
Newt gasped at every single one of them.
His wife Tina, standing to the side, couldn't see any difference. In her life since marrying Newt, she had seen far too many strange and wonderful creatures, and she was somewhat puzzled by what she was seeing.
But she knew that her husband, who had finally decided to settle down and rest, would probably be busy again.
In fact, she had long known that a quiet life was indeed beginning to take a turn for the worse.
Because of this young man who came to visit, he released Gellert Grindelwald!
This is why Newt, a socially awkward man who dislikes entertaining friends, was willing to invite Lockhart to the manor for a detailed discussion.
(End of this chapter)